Navajo artist, designer to speak Tuesday

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Jared Yazzie, founder and owner of OXDX Clothing and named one of the top five emerging indigenous designers, is the keynote speaker for the 2017 Native American History Month programs.

Artist, designer and entrepreneur Jared Yazzie (Navajo) will be featured during RIT’s Native American Heritage Month as the keynote presenter from noon to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 15, in the Fireside Lounge, located in the Student Alumni Union.

Named one of the top five emerging indigenous designers by Paper Magazine, Yazzie will display some of his contemporary designs including the popular T-shirt with the statement “Native Americans Discovered Columbus” and he will discuss balancing Native traditions with modern society in his presentation “Save What We Have Left.”

Yazzie, founder and owner of OXDX Clothing, has been producing artwork for his clothing line since 2009 to increase awareness of Native issues and to show the beauty of Native culture. OXDX is an abbreviation of the word “overdose,” a concept he uses to describe the state of modern society and the need for individuals from Native American communities to hold fast to culture and tradition. This past summer, his contemporary Native American fashion was part of a traveling exhibition organized by the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Mass.

The event is free and open to students, faculty and staff. It is sponsored by RIT’s Future Stewards Program, the Center for Campus Life, the Division for Diversity and Inclusion and the School of Communication in RIT’s College of Liberal Arts. More information about the event can be found online.